Birds with Paper Wings
by death2society
Summary: Itachi grew up only to be seen. His life is shaped to be predictable and he doesn't have the courage to break out. But once he does, everything goes to Hell. KisaIta, PeiKo, KakuHida, SasoDei, and more inside.
1. 1

**Disclaimer: I own the plot alone. Steal it and your organs will be rearranged. In a tub. On Christmas morning full of ice. Inside of a warehouse. Jigsaw has nothing on what I would put you through. But Kishimoto can own his manga. Nathanial Hawthorne can also keep his stupid book. I would have had Hester leave the stupid colony, but fuck no! We have to wait until he dies to see it!**

**Warning: Cursing, Hidan, puppy dog faces, and The _Scarlett Letter_. That's terror right there. **

**Chapter One**

_A life without cause is a life without effect._

_- Barbarella_

It was snowing. Itachi Uchiha glared out the window and ignored the chattering around him. He could care less about these people. He was worried more about how he would walk home in this weather, not that his expression would show it. He was naturally an emotionless person, and he put it all beside him after he realized that he couldn't change it. He sighed and turned back to the classroom.

Inside there was chaos. That was the first thing Itachi noticed when he started to pay attention. He watched the future bankers group of people argue with Kakashi Hatake's group, and it seemed like Kakuzu Takatsi was who the argument was over. Itachi wanted to frown when he listened (it's not eavesdropping if they're yelling it) in. This was over a project? Impossible! He hadn't heard anything about this.

Itachi turned to his book instead. He would ask Mr. Okkanee later about this. He could do it by himself anyway. He didn't particularly wanted to be hindered by anybody in the first place.

Itachi tried to pay attention to what was happening to Hester and Chillingworth, but the _Scarlet Letter_ was certainly no rival to the yelling of high school students. Itachi's eyes left the pages to watch certain people yell and scream for a group member.

"He's mine, goddammit," Hidan Yuume yelled. He grabbed Kakuzu's arms and pulled him toward a blue-haired girl whom Itachi had forgotten the name of after the first day.

"Hell no," Kakashi yelled. "He's smart, and plus juniors have to stick together!"

"All of you shut up," screamed Eris Hayame, the leader of the FBLA club. "Kakuzu will obviously be our partner since we are all in the same club."

"Like hell he would," Hidan said. "You all are a bunch of fucking nerds, and Kakuzu's too much of a badass to work with you lot."

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "Was that a compliment?" he asked.

"That's the best you'll ever fucking get, asshole."

Itachi's eyes widened just a bit. Did he just see- no, they absolutely hated each other. He was certain of it. He knew that from Personal Finance, where he had the misfortune to listen to them both bicker about whether money was necessary to live. This was a rather interesting development though. He would have to remember this for the future.

Itachi pulled out a notebook and watched the argument become resolved, though not the way he expected.

Kakuzu turned to the finance group and gave them an apologetic look. "Sorry, but I promised Pein that I would help them out if there was a group project," he said with a heavy sigh. Hidan grabbed his arm and dragged him off to the beaming blue-haired girl. Itachi made a note of this. She looked as if she was planning this from the start.

Itachi watched as she went up to the guy who sat behind him, and he propped up his book and acted like he was taking notes so he did not seem too suspicious. The guy behind him was the captain of the basketball, football, wrestling, swimming, and snowboarding teams, pretty much every sport in the school besides track. There was no captain of track though, so that's probably why he wasn't in that. Who was this superbly athletic person? Why, it's Kisame Hoshigaki because no one else can be so great.

"Hey Konan," Kisame said.

Itachi wrote down her name so he would not forget it anytime soon.

"Hey, Kisame. What do you think about this project?" Konan asked.

Itachi heard Kisame chuckle. "Mr. Okkanee should have known better than to give us all a project due the end of the semester. I know we all are just going to put it off until the day before and throw something together that's only worth a C at the most," he said.

"Yeah, yeah, but we have Kakuzu in our group so we might stay focused," Konan sighed.

Kisame laughed. "Have you ever seen him and Hidan in the same room? We'll be lucky if they stay on task."

Konan frowned. "We're going to need more help then," she muttered. "Who else do you think would be good at this stuff?"

Kisame shrugged, and they both mused over who in this class would be helpful.

Itachi found their dilemma amusing. He almost wanted to laugh at them. There was absolutely no one in this class who would stay on task for more than five seconds. He was serious. A whole semester in this class made him wonder if the cafeteria food was laced with cocaine or something that caused ADHD. It would be more reasonable than saying this is natural for teenagers. Itachi certainly not this way, at least he hoped not. Then again, he could say he was the exception to most rules considering how he was raised.

"Hey, you're Itachi, right?"

There was a tap on his shoulder and Itachi turned around slowly. "What do you want?" he said cooly, putting his notebook out of view so he wouldn't be thought of as a stalker.

"You don't have a group for the project, right?" Kisame asked.

Itachi ignored Konan's hopeful eyes and glared. "I was planning on working on this by myself," he said.

Konan took over. "But you can't! You're supposed to have a group give a presentation over a culture and reenact a myth along with it."

"I can do it by myself," Itachi replied. He turned back around and attempted to read the _Scarlet __Letter_ again, without feeling the urge to fall asleep right then and there.

It didn't help that the book was plucked out of his hands and he was face to face with Kisame.

Itachi glared, but Kisame seemed unaffected. Finally, Itachi snatched the book back and huffed when Kisame raised it above his head.

"Join our group and I'll give you back the book," he said.

"Give it back."

"Then join our group."

"It's for English."

"Tough. Mrs. Dentè will understand."

"I have Mr. Sakèn."

"Then you're screwed." Kisame smirked. "So you'll join?"

The bell rang and Itachi narrowed his eyes at Kisame's expectant grin. "Hn."

He grabbed his binder and swept out of there without another glance toward the book or Kisame.

-.-

"Join our group?"

"Hn."

"Please?"

"Hn."

"Pretty please with cherries on top?"

"Hn."

"Pretty please with sugar, and pocky, and chocolate syrup, and strawberries, and cake on top?"

"You used too many 'ands.'"

This was an interesting sight to behold. A large, blue junior was following some short sophomore around like a puppy dog waving an English book around like a lunatic and begging for him to be in his group. Add the fact that this was the most friendly and popular kid in school talking to the "loner hottie" , and then this was a schoolwide scandal. Don't ask him why he was called that; he just heard it from his fan girls.

If Itachi was on the outside, he probably would have enjoyed watching this play out, but on the inside, he just felt so damn uncomfortable. He wanted the looks to just go away and to be left alone, but this damn guy won't stop pestering him. And screw cursing! He was polite enough at home as it is! He could curse in his head all the fucking time and no one would be the wiser!

Itachi really had problems when he was irritated.

Itachi ignored the puppy dog face and went into his locker to grab his books. Art was his last class of the day, so he could possibly relax in there _without_ any irritations like Kisame.

Itachi went inside his classroom and set up his easel close to the door. It was only when the bell rang that he finally spoke.

"Are you going to continue standing there instead of heading to class?" Itachi asked through gritted teeth.

Kisame sat at a table behind him, and Itachi really wanted to punch that smug grin off of his face. And he was a pacifist before this dammit!

"Nope," he said. "I want you to join our group, and I'm not known to give up, you know?"

Itachi really wished that he wouldn't have said that.

All during art class, he felt those eyes watching him, and it unnerved Itachi. He had to fight to keep his reserved composure instead of snapping at him to go away. He even got looks from the prodigy art student, Deidara's Iwagara, who absolutely loathed him. He could have sworn he saw him snickering at him but did not think any further of it. His mind was playing tricks on him. That's what he'd believe just for his sanity.

The hour was long and dreadful, and at the end of it, Itachi produced a very poor painting of what was supposed to be a bird. He let out a 'hn.' He could trash it and make a new one tomorrow. This was all a participation grade anyway.

He grabbed his binder from the table and was then again reminded of Kisame.

"C'mon 'tachi," Kisame said, "it could be fun to meet new people. Plus all you have to do it act like you like us."

Itachi glared at him. "Don't call me 'tachi," he muttered before snatching the book and walking away.

Kisame brightened up. "I'll tell Konan that you're with us," he called out.

"Hn."

Deidara ran to catch up with Itachi, since they typically walked home together. "What was that all about un?" he asked, glancing back and forth between the retreating Kisame and Itachi.

"It's a pointless story, so why bother?"

Deidara shrugged. "If you say so un."

**A/N: And this is how you begin a story. Next chapter should come out next week. Cross your fingers, or else you can go to Hell. By the way, my address as changed. I feel like the first Mexican in Canada. Woo...I have no clue what they say. ¿Què dijo? That's my phrase of the year. My brother is still down in Missouri (where he should stay) and he'll be managing most of my account. **

**Arrivederci!**

**À la prochaine!**

**Tschüss!**

**Adieu!**

**Ciao!**

**Nos vemos!**

**Bye!**

**And don't forget to review!**

**-JMS  
**


	2. 2

**Disclaimer: Oh it's finally Christmas! That means for a present, Kishimoto handed over his rights to me- HA! Got ya, didn't I?**

**Warnings: Blood. Lots of it. Books. Not much though. And the mention of a certain Jinchuuriki whom I wish to slowly murder right now. Also, to old readers, go back a chapter. New ones can keep reading ahead.**

**Chapter Two**

**_No my friend, darkness is not everywhere, for here and there I find faces illuminated from within; paper lanterns amoung the dark trees. -Carole Borges_**

There was an old house in the woods behind the Uchiha manor. It wasn't anything special, just a tiny hut on the edge of society that had been neglected for years. And Itachi loved that place. It was something that he had only read about in books: a safe haven inside the recesses of nature.

Itachi was currently studying for his Physics test, which was rather boring but he needed to ace it, like every other test. The only reason he was out here tonight was that Sasuke was sleeping over with a friend by the name of Naruto Uzumaki, a loud orange furball who was terrified when he saw Itachi. He would have to talk to Sasuke about his impressions on other people. Father was at work, not surprising, so Itachi was by himself for once. That was a pretty comforting thought since his eyes were giving him trouble and his medicine was not working. He could be alone and fall into that blissful state of unconsciousness without any irritations whatsoever.

At least, that's what Itachi thought before someone came through the door.

Deidara Iwagara rushed into the safe haven, breaking Itachi's illusion of peace. He threw the bags in his arms on the ground and started babbling on about something Itachi could not keep up with. He watched his mouth move rapidly and wondered if he had a speech problem. It always was like this; Deidara would start talking too fast, and Itachi would just pretend to listen and nod his head a few times so he wouldn't have to participate in conversation. Deidara's wild eyes let him know that he would actually have to know what he was talking about.

"Deidara, shut up," Itachi said slowly.

Deidara closed his mouth and glared at him.

"Explain more slowly now," Itachi said. "I cannot keep up with you if you continue to go on this way."

Deidara took a deep breath and started again. "Alright, un, I was doing my art, and I used the models you drew up to make sure it was perfectly safe un. The building went off in a bang, and it was perfect un! Everyone around stopped and watched and it was fucking awesome un!"

Itachi was beginning to think that there was no point to the story and began to zone out. He already knew that the models would be perfect, so why did he feel the need to go through it all?

"I swear I checked if the building was completely abandoned before I set the fireworks off un. I promise I did! But some kid must have snuck into the building when I went to the safe point un."

Itachi's ears perked up. "Someone got hurt," he mused. His eyebrows scrunched together at the thought. His plans didn't account for outside influences. He would have to fix that next time.

"You have to help me save him un," Deidara cried. He grabbed Itachi's shoulders and started shaking him. "I don't want to be a murderer un! I'm only sixteen, un, barely in my youth. I can't go to jail now!"

Itachi hissed and pushed the blonde off of him. "Touch me again and I'll burn your house down," he said. He stood up and wiped himself off. "I will help you, but you owe me."

Deidara nodded. "I'll get you the Katekyo Hitman series the next time my mom goes to Japan un," he said.

Itachi nodded. He looked at his watch and sighed. "Hn. The cops will be out if we do not hurry."

Deidara paled and nodded. "Got it un."

-.-.-

Itachi had to say that the explosions did a number on the poor victim. This was mostly Deidara's fault; afterall hadn't he heard of practical application? Itachi's model was a theory, and he never said it was perfect. Except for in his head. Next time, he'll come up with the actual probability of someone getting hurt instead of handing his work to Deidara. He shook his head and looked at the injured kid. He seemed to have suffered from more on the exterior than the interior. The boy's face was scratched and blood soaked his eyepatch, but other than a few scratches on him and glass shards covering his body, he was completely fine. At least, that's what Itachi thought. He only read about what to do in these kinds of situations, and he was googling what to do right now.

Itachi was checking his pulse for the umpteenth time while Deidara was placing a washcloth on his forehead. It was pins and needles between them as they waited for the boy to wake up. They weren't sure what to do once the boy did, but they were doing good so far. No need to jinx their luck.

Itachi jumped back when the boy began to cough. Deidara stared at him and began to quiver when he saw the blood pouring out the side of his mouth. The boy continued to cough, unaware of his audience.

The boy looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Itachi.

"Itachi-kun? What are you doing here?" The boy looked frantically around and frowned when he did not recognize where he was.

Deidara glared at Itachi and mouthed, "You know him?"

Itachi shrugged. He did not recognize him, but that could be because of all the blood covering him. He began to study the boy, trying to recognize any features of him.

"W-well, Itachi, let's take him back to your house and clean him up un," Deidara said, motioning towards the door.

"Really? Is Uncle there?" Itachi froze. "Tobi hasn't seen Uncle or Sasuke-chan in ages. Ever since you all moved to Japan, you've-"

"Tobi, what the fuck were you doing in that building?" Itachi asked. He could feel a vein beginning to pop in his forehead.

Tobi smiled. "Tobi heard sempai was going to perform his art there, so Tobi was just going to see it. But then the building caught on fire and- Oh sempai! Tobi is your biggest fan! Tobi has all of your art on video and-"

"Hn. Burn them when you get home," Itachi said. The door flew open and startled the pair of teenagers who were watching an infuriated Itachi. "Go inside and get cleaned up. Hn?"

Deidara followed the pair in confusion as they went inside the house. He wasn't sure what to do, especially since Itachi was obviously ticked. He hadn't seen him this pissed since the day his little brother got made fun of for his drawings by some middle school kids. That was the day they became friends, since Deidara got him out of trouble with the bus driver after Itachi kicked their asses and made himself a reputation, now forgotten since that was a few years ago.

It certainly wasn't going to end well if Deidara stuck around. He shuddered at the thought.

"Hey, I'm going to get going. My mom needs me to help her cook un."

Itachi gave a grunt, while Tobi waved with both hands and showered him with sparkles. Or at least that was what it felt like when he said "bye sempai". Deidara had no clue as to how they were related. They were such polar opposites!

Deidara walked down the street and pulled out his phone. He smiled when he saw it was from his "danna," a guy he met on an online chat room and have been talking to ever since.

_Did you like my art?_

_You're a brat. Art's everlasting. _

_You're the stupid one. _

_What do you want?_

_I actually hurt someone today. You mind if you could check on them, since you're into Biology and all?_

_Why? _

_I'll love you forever?_

_Nice try. _

_I'll give you one of my nonexplosive statues. _

_Who?_

_Tobi Uchiha. _

_Kk. I'll look into him._

_Good night danna._

_Night brat._

**A/N: Happy fucking holidays everyone from everywhere possible. I wish I was at home right now. First person who reviews this chapter gets lots of love. And candy. And maybe a one shot. Who knows? I'm in a jolly mood. As long as your review makes me happy, I'm giving out one shots. Once in a lifetime, haha, I may be a bit bored here. **

**Arrivederci!**


	3. AN

_**To you all, I hope you know I love you. I seriously do. I know it's been forever, but apparently my email jacked up and I never got all the reviews from the previous chapter. As in, I got none. Zip. Zero. So sue me. I got a little angsty, mopey, crying on the bathroom, reaching for a razor, ready to slice my wrists while drinking some Jack Daniels. That's how writers are though. They wait a few months and get antsy about it. I want you to know that finding out people actually care is a relief. It makes me feel like I have self worth. So to all the reviewers from the previous chapter, I'm going to PM you and write a one-shot for you all. Because seriously, finding that out helped.**_

_**(And yes, a chapter will be posted Friday. I just have to get this out before I forget.)**_


	4. 3

_**Regarding the last chapter, I would like to point out that no, I was not suicidal. I was upset. I was just being overdramatic when writing and trying to get a point across: Reviews save lives (of stories). I apologize if my sense of humor went to far for some of you. Now on to the story. **_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I will always own nothing. In fact, I don't see the point of this being on here since this is _! _What, do you expect Kishimoto to make some slash fiction of his own manga? I don't think so! So there!**

**Warnings: Tobi/Madara complex, an annoyed Uchiha, some blood, alcohol, and a potential KisaIta moment in the next chapter (I'M WORKING ON IT!)**

**Chapter Three**

_Keep guard over your eyes and ears as the inlets of your heart, and over your lips as the outlets, lest they betray you in a moment of unwariness. _  
_- Anne Bronte_

Deidara left and immediately, Tobi put away the mask. He straightened up and took off his eyepatch, revealing the bright red eye. He followed Itachi to the bathroom and started cleaning himself off with a washcloth. Glass settled in the drain as he picked each one off his skin. Itachi leaned against the door and watched. He couldn't understand Tobi; he was so smart yet he acted like an idiot, like with what he did now. There was a reason behind it, but Itachi still could not find it.

His eyes kept avoiding the eye, in the third stage of the disease. The scars and cuts were more appealing than that distant future.

"Do you have any alcohol?" Tobi asked, finally breaking the silence.

Itachi nodded mutely and opened the medicine cabinent next to the sink. He tossed him the bottle and some bandages, then went back to standing guard. Tobi chuckled at that, but he did not try to say anything. Itachi was relieved for that. Explaining his actions would be difficult, even for him to comprehend.

Tobi was the one to break the silence yet again. "Your father is out with the rest of the police, trying to find Deidara-san?"

Itachi nodded and slowly loosened his guard. "Hn."

Tobi nodded, his face grim. "Then I'll have enough time to tell you this and go. I do not want to be confronted by Uncle."

Itachi did not say anything. He knew that any word of Tobi to his father would result in a severe punishment. He was the first Uchiha to abandon his position as heir and choose an unconvential road, which meant the position was passed down to Itachi, along with all the burdens. His father did not complain of the position it put him in, but he loathed Tobi for leaving what he had dreamed of.

"We can speak in my room, in case Father arrives early," Itachi said. Tobi nodded and he led the way.

The mansion may have been big, but it was rather easy to navigate through. It only took a minute to get to Itachi's bedroom. Tobi took the chair at the desk while Itachi sat on the bed. He turned on the radio, his paranoia kicking in, just in case his father overheard his conversation.

"What is wrong?" Itachi asked. He did not like the pensive look on his cousin's face.

"I want you to join the Akatsuki."

Itachi stared at Tobi, his thoughts spinning. It took a minute to get a hold of them. Then he stared at him some more.

Tobi huffed, his mood turning sour quick. "I can't explain it all to you right now," he said. "All you need to know is that I'm worried about your safety. You need some extra protection and I know that the Akatsuki would give it to you. The members hold some sort of weight around this town, so if you got hurt, the whole town would suffer."

"I'm not joining." Itachi glared at him. "I can take care of myself."

Tobi ignored the glare and continued on. "I know you can, but this is something bigger than you. Allies would help."

"The Uchihas will support me, since I am the heir." Itachi knew it rang true but couldn't help the shock when Tobi laughed.

"Like hell they would." Tobi smirked. "They would turn on you in a heartbeat. Just look what they did to me."

Itachi felt the urge to hit Tobi. "You were an idiot," he spat.

"And you're no different." Tobi looked smug, but it wore off quickly and was replaced by a frown. "The only difference between you and I is that I'm here helping you." When that got no response, Tobi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Fine. Be that way. You have until tomorrow to think about it. After that, you won't be given a choice."

He turned and left Itachi's room. Itachi did not bother to follow him. The front door slammed shut and Itachi finally relaxed. He collapsed and the bed and buried his head into a pillow. "Why me?" he muttered. "Why the hell is it always me?"

-_-_-

The bell rang and Itachi walked in on chaos. He was late, and he wasn't sure on whether or not he should just skip. Mr. Okkanee sat at his desk, listening to some music while the rest of the class fought amoung one another. He turned around and started heading back to the library, but Jiraya ran past him and kind of pushed him in.

"There's no escaping this hell, is there?" he muttered to himself. Itachi went to sit down in his seat, quiet as can be. He pulled a book out of his backpack, Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig, and began to read. That is, until Kisame tapped him on the shoulder.

Have you ever had the feeling like you were going to explode because something interrupted your train of thought? That is what Itachi felt right then. He curled his free hand into a fist and held back his anger.

"Hn?" Itachi asked.

Kisame seemed to have interpreted it well and said, "Konan wants me to tell you that we will start the project after school around five. Can you make it?"

Itachi blanked for a second. He had no clue what he was talking about. Then realization struck him. Of course, Kisame would take it that he agreed. He scowled. He doubted that he could back out of this.

Itachi set down the book and turned all the way around so he could look at Kisame face to face and tell him off.

Well, if you were looking for a rampage, then you have come to the wrong place. Itachi did not lose his temper that easily; no Uchiha did (except for Tobi, but he still wasn't in Hidan's league). He looked over the jock and an idea popped into his head. All Tobi said was that he needed some extra protection. That's it. And if he got Kisame's loyalty, he wouldn't have to join the Akatsuki any time soon.

He sighed. "Yes, I can go." No, he actually couldn't. The Uchihas had a family meeting then, but he was sure that he could somehow escape. School did come first to Father.

Kisame grinned. "Cool. I'll pick you up if you like," he offered.

Itachi nodded, hardly paying attention. He was planning in his head what exactly he could say to Father if he questions him and how he could make this seem important. Tutoring perhaps?

Kisame laughed. "Okay, I'll pick you up at 4:30." He turned around and left Itachi to his own thoughts.

Itachi nodded and slumped down on his desk. He wasn't sure why he actually agreed to this. He really, really hated people.


End file.
